Recruitment of a monitoring and evaluation specialist for the RCU

ECOWAS REGIONAL ELECTRICITY ACCESS AND BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT (BEST – P167569)

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
(CONSULTING SERVICES – INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT SELECTION)

Recruitment of a monitoring and evaluation specialist for the RCU

RCU_GRH_M&E Spec (BEST-371953-TB)_REOI_20230814_BA-MD VF (for donwload)

NG-CEDEAO-DEM-371053-CS-INDV

Closing Date: 14^th, September 2023 at 5:00 pm GMT

Contract: Time base

Project reference No.: P167569

1. To improve the population’s access to electricity, ECOWAS is working for the establishment of a regional electricity market through the development of power generation and transmission infrastructure, and its intensifying initiative related to access to electricity. Thus, ECOWAS initiated, with the support of the World Bank, the Regional Electricity Access Project (REAP) to be implemented in the form of a series of projects to gradually cover 11 countries including 9 of the ECOWAS.

1. Phase 1 of the REAP, entitled ECOWAS-REAP, covers The Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Mali. The objective is to allow 2.04 million people to benefit from electricity services. The funding is 225 million USD. Components of ECOWAS-REAP are (i) Design, supply, and installation of the electricity distribution infrastructures, (ii) supervision of the construction and technical advisory, and (iii) project coordination and technical assistance.  The project has created National Project Implementation Unit (PIU) in each country involved and a Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) housed in the Directorate of Energy and Mines.

1. Then, Phase 2 of the REAP, entitled Regional Electricity Access and Battery Energy Storage Technology Project (BEST) approved in 2022. It covers Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal for the “Access” component and Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Niger for the “Battery” component. The objective is to increase people’s access to electricity and to contribute to stability and better energy flow in the WAPP transmission system. The funding is 465 million USD. All components of BEST are (i) Design, supply, and installation of electricity distribution infrastructure, (ii) design, supply, and installation of BEST equipment, (iii) supervision of the construction and technical advisory, and (iv) project coordination and technical assistance. National Project Implementation Units (PIU) have also been created in each country involved.

1. The RCU set up for ECOWAS-REAP was also entrusted to coordinate the BEST project, and it has become imperative to reinforce the RCU and to improve the project monitoring and evaluation system. In line with the above, ECOWAS Commission, in relation to the World Bank, plans to recruit a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU).

1. The consultant’s services (“the services”) include the following, as indicated below during One (01) year period extensible based on satisfactory performance, including a probation period of three (03) months with Time base contract.

1. The Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist responsibility will be to ensure for ECOWAS-REAP and BEST projects, effective and efficient mechanism for project accountability and delivery aw well to support management decision making and control during implementation. Activities to be performed by him include but are not limited to the following:

1. Prepare the monitoring-evaluation plan of the project in collaboration with other experts of the Regional Coordination Unit and the National Implementation Units of the ECOWAS-REAP and BEST projects and ensure its periodic updating;
2. Design, organize, and put in place projects data collection, analysis and reporting system, with GIS and including communication of the results;
3. Prepare an M&E report template as well as a template for the analysis of the socioeconomic impacts of the projects;
4. Participate in the monitoring of the projects’ components through field visits, review of project reports and other data;
5. Develop indicators of outcomes achieved through the implementation of the various activities of the projects;
6. On a monthly basis, generate a scoreboard of the key monitoring indicators (results of activities, effects, impacts, etc.);
7. On an annual basis, generate a comprehensive report on the indicators and their analysis for the purpose of adjusting the activities of the projects every year taking into account the performances achieved;
8. Provide comments on the monitoring-evaluation components of all the technical documents of the project (i.e., work plans, terms of reference, and procurement contracts) and ensure that M&E reporting standards are complied with;
9. Collaborate with the technical staff of the projects during the preparation of periodic reports, including quarterly and annual performance reports;
10. Assist in the organization of the Regional Steering Committees and provide inputs to the required documentation of the meeting;
11. Establish and follow-up a dynamic (through a share point) action plan gathering all the activities of RCU and PIUs.
12. Respond to inquiries about the sources of the data, the data measurement methods, the data collection frequency and their disaggregation;
13. Provide M&E guidelines to other members of the Regional Coordination Unit and other implementation partners during the entire period of implementation of the project;
14. Act as M&E interface with other stakeholders of the project including the world bank and auditors;
15. Respond effectively to any other tasks assigned by the RCU Coordinator and undertake any other activities, as instructed by ECOWAS Director of Energy and Mines.

1. Qualifications skills and experience

Qualifications and skills

1. At least a Master’s degree in monitoring-evaluation, statistics, engineering, economics, international relations, social sciences or similar qualifications in line with the requirements of the position;
2. A certificate in Result Based Management will be an advantage
3. Familiarity with statistical tools and methods;
4. Familiarity with information and communication technology;
5. Ability to work within a multidisciplinary team;
6. Excellent knowledge of the Microsoft Office suite;
7. Excellent skills in reporting and report presentation

Experience

1. Minimum of ten (10) years of experience in monitoring-evaluation in various positions, including five (5) years’ experience as monitoring and evaluation specialist; More years’ experience (fifteen to twenty) will be an advantage
2. Proven experience in monitoring-evaluation of projects financed by multilateral donors, preferably the World Bank, African Development Bank;
3. Minimum of two proven experiences in monitoring-evaluation in energy sector related projects; experience in power distribution would be an added advantage;
4. Experience in survey management with electronic data collection tools;

1. Language requirement

Candidates must speak and write fluent French and English.

1. A Candidate will be selected in accordance with the Selection of Individual Consultant set out in the World Bank Procurement Regulations for IPF Borrowers (Fourth Edition November 2020).

1. Further information can be obtained only by mail at the following email address: ecowas-reap@ecowas.int; with copy to lkouassi@ecowas.int ; banwone@ecowas.int ;ddegny@ecowas.int; akoumoin@ecowas.int and  bdabire@ecowas.int .

1. Expressions of interest must be delivered latest by 14^th, September 2023 at 5:00 pm GMT at ecowas-reap@ecowas.int; copying lkouassi@ecowas.int, banwone@ecowas.int, ddegny@ecowas.int,  akoumoin@ecowas.int and  bdabire@ecowas.int